Angels manager Ron Washington is set to remain on medical leave for the rest of the season, the team announced ahead of Friday’s game against the Nationals.
Angels bench coach Ray Montgomery, who has been serving as interim manager since last Friday when Washington first went on leave, will continue managing the team for the remainder of the 2025 season.
“The fortunate part is he knows what he needs to do, and from a health standpoint, he knows how to get better,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters Friday.
Minasian did not reveal any details about Washington’s health issues.
“And in my opinion, and I think a lot of people’s opinion, the game of baseball is 1000 times better when Ron Washington’s part of it on a daily basis — we all know that,” Minasian added.
Washington, 73, was initially placed on leave for an indefinite amount of time last Friday due to the undisclosed health concern.
At the time, Minasian said Washington would continue to be around the team, but would not be in the dugout.
“Wash has not felt great the last couple of days,” Minasian told reporters then. “We want to make sure he’s 100 percent before he’s back in the dugout and managing. How long it’s going to take, I don’t know. I don’t expect it to be too long.
“We all know how important this is for all of us, but health is more important than anything, and me personally, I’m not letting him back in the dugout until I know he’s 100 percent OK. I love the guy too much.”
Washington, who has been coaching in MLB for nearly three decades, was midway through his second season managing the Angels and has seemingly already made a lasting impact on his players.
“He’s got 26 sons in here, so that’s a lot to juggle if we’re all texting at the same time,” Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe said of Washington on Friday. “We haven’t talked to him much individually but he knows they’re thinking about him.”
O’Hoppe also said that Washington was the catalyst for the Angels’ turnaround this season, The LA Times reported.
The Angels are 40-40 and 7 1/2 games back in the AL West entering Friday’s play.